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The Pillar of Fire
The Pillar of Fire

Chapter I

Chapter 1 of The Pillar of Fire is here in full — 45 sentences across 9 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Cover illustration for The Pillar of Fire
Context Illustration Reading 1/9 · 5 lines
English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5
The text comprises a series of letters in three groups.
The first group, the first letter within that group, and the third group, lack headings.
Appropriate headings have been copied from the Table of Contents and inserted on pages 25 and 468.
Apparent typographical errors have been corrected as has inconsistent hyphenation.
Italics are indicated by _underscores_.
0:00 / 0:00
Speed 0.75x
AI-generated narration by OpenAI · Slow US English
LEARNER DICTIONARY
Archivist
/ˈɑːrkɪvɪst/
Editorial verification pending

A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.

The Pillar of Fire

Chapter I

Chapter 1 of The Pillar of Fire is here in full — 45 sentences across 9 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Reading 1/9 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1
The text comprises a series of letters in three groups.
/ðə tekst kəmˈpraɪzəz ə ˈsɪriz ʌv ˈletərz ɪn θriː ɡruːps/
Line 2
The first group, the first letter within that group, and the third group, lack headings.
/ðə fɜːrst ɡruːp ðə fɜːrst ˈletər wɪˈðɪn ðæt ɡruːp ənd ðə θɜːrd ɡruːp læk ˈhedɪŋz/
Line 3
Appropriate headings have been copied from the Table of Contents and inserted on pages 25 and 468.
Line 4
Apparent typographical errors have been corrected as has inconsistent hyphenation.
/əˈperənt ˌtaɪpəˈɡræfɪkəl ˈerərz hæv bɪn kərˈektəd æz hæz ˌɪnkənˈsɪstənt ˌhaɪfəˈneɪʃən/
Line 5
Italics are indicated by _underscores_.
/aɪˈtælɪks ɑːr ˈɪndəkeɪtəd baɪ ˌʌndərˈskɔːrz/

Learner Dictionary

These definitions explain words found in the current reading and keep every example grounded in its original sentence.

Oxford-style entry order: headword, part of speech, US IPA, concise definition, contextual example, and audio.

comprises verb US /kəmˈpraɪzəz/

third-person singular of “comprise” — be composed of

From this reading “The text comprises a series of letters in three groups.”

copied verb US /ˈkɑːpid/

inflected form of “copy” — copy down as is

From this reading “Appropriate headings have been copied from the Table of Contents and inserted on pages 25 and 468.”

headings noun US /ˈhedɪŋz/

plural of “heading” — a line of text serving to indicate what the passage below it is about

From this reading “The first group, the first letter within that group, and the third group, lack headings.”

hyphenation noun US /ˌhaɪfəˈneɪʃən/

division of a word especially at the end of a line on a page

From this reading “Apparent typographical errors have been corrected as has inconsistent hyphenation.”

inconsistent adjective US /ˌɪnkənˈsɪstənt/

displaying a lack of consistency

From this reading “Apparent typographical errors have been corrected as has inconsistent hyphenation.”

Italics noun US /aɪˈtælɪks/

plural of “italic” — a style of handwriting with the letters slanting to the right

From this reading “Italics are indicated by _underscores_.”

typographical adjective US /ˌtaɪpəˈɡræfɪkəl/

relating to or occurring or used in typography

From this reading “Apparent typographical errors have been corrected as has inconsistent hyphenation.”

underscores noun US /ˌʌndərˈskɔːrz/

plural of “underscore” — a line drawn underneath (especially under written matter)

Word partnerships in these lines

English keeps certain words together, and knowing the pair is worth more than knowing each word alone. Every partnership below was counted across our whole published library, and earns its place by appearing far more often than two unrelated words of the same frequency would.

Shown as this reading writes them, with the form the library counts, what kind of pairing it is, and how often it occurs.

indicated by verb + particle counted as “indicate by”

In this reading “Italics are indicated by _underscores_.”

from the Table preposition + article + noun counted as “from … table”

In this reading “Appropriate headings have been copied from the Table of Contents and inserted on pages 25 and 468.”

All words in this reading · 44

Every word in these five lines is listed here, and every one of them can be played on its own.

Dictionary details are shown only when verified; these are not licensed Oxford entries.

25

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Appropriate headings have been copied from the Table of Contents and inserted on pages 25 and 468.

468

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Appropriate headings have been copied from the Table of Contents and inserted on pages 25 and 468.

adeterminerUS /ə/

used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one

From this reading The text comprises a series of letters in three groups.

andconjunctionUS /ənd/

used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together

From this reading The first group, the first letter within that group, and the third group, lack headings.

ApparentadjectiveUS /əˈperənt/

clearly revealed to the mind or the senses or judgment

From this reading Apparent typographical errors have been corrected as has inconsistent hyphenation.

AppropriateverbUS /əˈproʊpriət/

give or assign a resource to a particular person or cause

From this reading Appropriate headings have been copied from the Table of Contents and inserted on pages 25 and 468.

areauxiliary verbUS /ɑːr/

the form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun

From this reading Italics are indicated by _underscores_.

asconjunctionUS /æz/

at the same time that; because; in the way that

From this reading Apparent typographical errors have been corrected as has inconsistent hyphenation.

beenauxiliary verbUS /bɪn/

the past participle of “be”

From this reading Appropriate headings have been copied from the Table of Contents and inserted on pages 25 and 468.

byprepositionUS /baɪ/

showing who or what does the action

From this reading Italics are indicated by _underscores_.

comprisesverbUS /kəmˈpraɪzəz/

third-person singular of “comprise” — be composed of

From this reading The text comprises a series of letters in three groups.

ContentsnounUS /ˈkɑːntents/

(usually plural) everything that is included in a collection and that is held or included in something

From this reading Appropriate headings have been copied from the Table of Contents and inserted on pages 25 and 468.

copiedverbUS /ˈkɑːpid/

inflected form of “copy” — copy down as is

From this reading Appropriate headings have been copied from the Table of Contents and inserted on pages 25 and 468.

correctedadjectiveUS /kərˈektəd/

having something undesirable neutralized

From this reading Apparent typographical errors have been corrected as has inconsistent hyphenation.

errorsnounUS /ˈerərz/

plural of “error” — a wrong action attributable to bad judgment or ignorance or inattention

From this reading Apparent typographical errors have been corrected as has inconsistent hyphenation.

firstadjectiveUS /fɜːrst/

preceding all others in time or space or degree

From this reading The first group, the first letter within that group, and the third group, lack headings.

fromprepositionUS /frʌm/

showing where something starts, or who sent it

From this reading Appropriate headings have been copied from the Table of Contents and inserted on pages 25 and 468.

groupnounUS /ɡruːp/

any number of entities (members) considered as a unit

From this reading The first group, the first letter within that group, and the third group, lack headings.

groupsnounUS /ɡruːps/

plural of “group” — any number of entities (members) considered as a unit

From this reading The text comprises a series of letters in three groups.

hasauxiliary verbUS /hæz/

the form of “have” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun

From this reading Apparent typographical errors have been corrected as has inconsistent hyphenation.

haveauxiliary verbUS /hæv/

used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses

From this reading Appropriate headings have been copied from the Table of Contents and inserted on pages 25 and 468.

headingsnounUS /ˈhedɪŋz/

plural of “heading” — a line of text serving to indicate what the passage below it is about

From this reading The first group, the first letter within that group, and the third group, lack headings.

hyphenationnounUS /ˌhaɪfəˈneɪʃən/

division of a word especially at the end of a line on a page

From this reading Apparent typographical errors have been corrected as has inconsistent hyphenation.

inprepositionUS /ɪn/

inside something, or within a place, period, or state

From this reading The text comprises a series of letters in three groups.

inconsistentadjectiveUS /ˌɪnkənˈsɪstənt/

displaying a lack of consistency

From this reading Apparent typographical errors have been corrected as has inconsistent hyphenation.

indicatedverbUS /ˈɪndəkeɪtəd/

past form of “indicate” — be a signal for or a symptom of

From this reading Italics are indicated by _underscores_.

insertedverbUS /ˌɪnˈsɜːrtəd/

past form of “insert” — put or introduce into something

From this reading Appropriate headings have been copied from the Table of Contents and inserted on pages 25 and 468.

ItalicsnounUS /aɪˈtælɪks/

plural of “italic” — a style of handwriting with the letters slanting to the right

From this reading Italics are indicated by _underscores_.

lacknounUS /læk/

the state of needing something that is absent or unavailable

From this reading The first group, the first letter within that group, and the third group, lack headings.

letternounUS /ˈletər/

a written message addressed to a person or organization

From this reading The first group, the first letter within that group, and the third group, lack headings.

lettersnounUS /ˈletərz/

the literary culture

From this reading The text comprises a series of letters in three groups.

ofprepositionUS /ʌv/

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading The text comprises a series of letters in three groups.

onprepositionUS /ɑːn/

touching and supported by a surface

From this reading Appropriate headings have been copied from the Table of Contents and inserted on pages 25 and 468.

pagesnounUS /ˈpeɪdʒəz/

plural of “page” — one side of one leaf (of a book or magazine or newspaper or letter etc.) or the written or pictorial matter it contains

From this reading Appropriate headings have been copied from the Table of Contents and inserted on pages 25 and 468.

seriesnounUS /ˈsɪriz/

similar things placed in order or happening one after another

From this reading The text comprises a series of letters in three groups.

TablenounUS /ˈteɪbəl/

a set of data arranged in rows and columns

From this reading Appropriate headings have been copied from the Table of Contents and inserted on pages 25 and 468.

textnounUS /tekst/

the words of something written

From this reading The text comprises a series of letters in three groups.

thatconjunctionUS /ðæt/

used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt

From this reading The first group, the first letter within that group, and the third group, lack headings.

ThedeterminerUS /ðə/

used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind

From this reading The text comprises a series of letters in three groups.

thirdnounUS /θɜːrd/

one of three equal parts of a divisible whole

From this reading The first group, the first letter within that group, and the third group, lack headings.

threenounUS /θriː/

the cardinal number that is the sum of one and one and one

From this reading The text comprises a series of letters in three groups.

typographicaladjectiveUS /ˌtaɪpəˈɡræfɪkəl/

relating to or occurring or used in typography

From this reading Apparent typographical errors have been corrected as has inconsistent hyphenation.

underscoresnounUS /ˌʌndərˈskɔːrz/

plural of “underscore” — a line drawn underneath (especially under written matter)

From this reading Italics are indicated by _underscores_.

withinprepositionUS /wɪˈðɪn/

inside; before a period of time has passed

From this reading The first group, the first letter within that group, and the third group, lack headings.

Chapter 1 of The Pillar of Fire by J. H. (Joseph Holt) Ingraham holds 45 sentences, grouped into 9 reading sections of at most 5 sentences. The text is the source edition, unabridged, and the chapter records which sentences cover which part of the work so that nothing is dropped. Every word can be tapped for its pronunciation and dictionary entry.

What does chapter 1 of The Pillar of Fire contain?

Chapter 1 holds 45 sentences of The Pillar of Fire, unabridged, divided into 9 reading sections.

This page carries chapter 1 of The Pillar of Fire by J. H. (Joseph Holt) Ingraham exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 45 sentences, grouped into 9 sections of at most 5 sentences so that a reader can take the chapter in steady, finishable pieces. The chapter also stores a coverage record mapping every one of its sentences to a part of the work, which is how the edition demonstrates that no line was dropped.

How do I study chapter 1 of The Pillar of Fire?

Work through the 9 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.

Each of the 9 sections in this chapter is short enough to read once, hear once, and then re-read with the vocabulary in view. Tapping a word plays it alone and opens its dictionary entry with IPA, part of speech and meaning, so the reader is never forced to guess a pronunciation from spelling. Working section by section keeps a long chapter from becoming an undifferentiated wall of text, which is the usual reason a reader abandons a work of this period.

Can chapter 1 be read aloud to me?

Yes — every sentence and every individual word in chapter 1 can be played aloud in United States English.

Audio covers the whole chapter: any sentence can be played, and any single word within it can be played on its own. The voice uses United States English. For a work of this period that matters, because spelling is an unreliable guide to pronunciation for vocabulary that has fallen out of daily use, and a learner who guesses wrong tends to keep the error. Hearing the word in its own sentence, and then alone, settles it.

Questions about reading The Pillar of Fire

Common questions about reading The Pillar of Fire by J. H. (Joseph Holt) Ingraham on this page, its source edition and its audio.

Is this the complete text of The Pillar of Fire?

Yes. All 6495 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #50611 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.

Which edition of The Pillar of Fire is used?

Project Gutenberg eBook #50611, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.

How long does The Pillar of Fire take to read?

About 541 minutes of reading across 1299 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.

How to read The Pillar of Fire section by section

How to work through The Pillar of Fire section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.

  1. Open a chapter

    Choose one of the 22 chapters of The Pillar of Fire to begin.

  2. Read one section

    Each section holds 5 sentences; read it once through.

  3. Listen and tap

    Play the section aloud, then tap any unfamiliar word for its entry.

Vocabulary met early in The Pillar of Fire

Words and structures a reader meets early in The Pillar of Fire, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.

Comprises
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Pillar of Fire; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Series
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Pillar of Fire; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Letters
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Pillar of Fire; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Three
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Pillar of Fire; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.